Samsung wants to bring curved OLED displays to VR

If this patent is anything to go by

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Samsung is throwing a curveball into VR headsets.... or at least, a curve. The technology manufacturer has filed a design patent for a future VR headset, one that makes use of a curved OLED display instead of a flat screen.

While the patent application isn't a guarantee we'll see a curved display model, companies are fiercely competing for a hold in the VR market, at a time when countless models are available but have yet to truly take off in terms of consumer interest.

Samsung has made no secret of its ambitions in VR, with a host of virtual reality or mixed reality headsets like the HMD Odyssey or Gear VR, and plans to create a series of VR-exclusive TV shows to offer through its devices.

Curveball

So why a curved display? Samsung is notable among TV manufacturers for making one fifth of its television range with curved displays - such as the Samsung NU7300.

Curved displays are thought to better recreate the peripheral vision of round human eyes, as well as give a wider viewing angle, though they can struggle with more light distortion than flat screens in bright environments.

Outside light shouldn't be an issue inside a VR headset, and the curved display may help to give a more realistic 3D experience - while expanding the field of view to a fuller 180-degrees than you'd get with a flat screen.

So is Samsung innovating for the future, or coming at VR from the wrong angle? We'll find out as and when this curved display comes to market - if it does at all.